Sir Guy found himself suddenly in the darkness of Sherwood where the moon lay almost full near the horizon and the torrent of rain fell upon him. The leafless branches winding up to the moon and heaven like praying hands, and the prayers themselves were the billowing winds.

"Evening…" said a voice from behind him.

"Who are you, what do you want?"

"You are a long way from home, Guy of Gisborne," Said the voice now in front of him. He turned his head around so quickly he heard the bones in his neck crackle. He felt a blade barely on him, and it was upon his neck.

"I said what do you want…" he stammered.

"The same thing I've always wanted. Revenge." The voice whispered in his left ear and then all he knew was darkness. He awoke in the morning gagged, blindfolded and bound. They took the blindfold off first, the sun blinding him ever so slightly. He lowered his gaze still unknowing of where he was, was he even in Sherwood anymore, many thoughts passed his mind.

He then noted his hands were bound in rope but his legs were in iron shackles, the cloth that gagged him was a thin silk material. His captors then removed the silk from his mouth, Guy had caught his breath in his throat many moments ago, but he knew he need not breathe right now, his only thought was that if this would be his end that he'd want to know who his would-be executioner is, as he thought of this he was dragged before a river nearing a waterfall. Suddenly he caught a blurred glance at one of his captors.

"Hood…?" he yelled hoarsely a yell that echoed within the trees.

He had been swung and released into the river. He hit the water in a sudden movement; the river was fast moving and cold, deep, Guy let it embrace him, letting it sink him as his arms and legs caught within the rope and iron. Water filled his mouth and nostrils as he fought to get himself free. The river's bend collided against him he felt himself sinking again this time closer to the bottom the river and the waterfall drew nearer.

He finally freed his arms but the lack of food, sleep and all the hard work of freeing his arms he didn't have the strength to free his legs. The currents flooded against Guy and unexpectedly his head struck on an embedded rock of the river, rendering him unconscious for a second time and still amongst the raging currents of the river he fell from waterfall and into the next body of water.

Danica was playing with her brother Broderick near the shallow water front midday when suddenly they heard a deafening splash. They huddled close as the found, the man in black. Broderick told his sister to get their father and mother. She did as she was instructed and as she had told them; her father stood and ran out the door following his only daughter to the water front.

Her father, Gregory dragged the man in black out of the water. Gregory checked the man's throat, a beat still tangible played on his fingers. He placed two fingers on his thoracic vertebra then the other flat against his two fingers, and then he slid out his two fingers and placed them over his hand and started to press against the man's chest. He did this about two or three more times; the man awoke spitting out water. He tried to oblige his lungs' wish to breathe, but all he did while he laid there was gasping and screaming for a few moments before Danica boldly asked for the stranger's name.

"My Name?" the man in black blinked several times, he held the back of his head in pain and his chest. He tried to recall his name and why he was in the river, but no answer came. He looked up into the young girl's illustriously light green eyes and simply remarked "I don't know."

Gregory helped the man in black to his feet, "Well good sir we shall give you the name of River since you came from such a place."

It was a quaint and blatantly obvious name to be sure but he nodded in agreement.

"I suppose River is better than no name at all." The man now known as River stated smiling.

"Come on then we'll be late for lunch if we don't hurry." Broderick said ushering everyone to get back home including River. Danica held out her hand to River encouraging him to hold on to it. He took her hand thoughtfully and lightly bowed his head to her.

"Mamma makes the best mushroom broth in all of England." Danica bragged.

"But that's nothing compared to what we will have for dinner." Broderick said calling back to them.

As they reached the fairly large cottage, River felt Danica take her hand off his and ran in with her brother.

"Gregory, Danica tells me you have brought a new face to grace our home." called a woman coming out of the cottage.

"Yes my love, I have." Gregory replied.

"Did you forget that we only have so much in the way of my stew?" she said.

"No my Love, but I thought since he was so near the thralls of death we could help him." Gregory smiled at his sweet wife.

Danica ran up to the doorway and escorted River to a spot. Erin wrapped a blanket over his shaking shoulders and Broderick had given him a bowl of the stew. Gregory sat next to him. Broderick ladled a bowl for his father and then his mother, and almost lastly to his sister.

They all looked at River as he took his first sip. His eyes were widened; this was amazing he was almost impressed by the stew, but he was more impressed with the family.

"I like it." He finally said.

"How much?" Danica asked.

"Oh well, this much…" River said holding his arms almost the length of the table. This statement caused Danica to giggle, Broderick to laugh and made Gregory and Erin smile. River felt content within his being yet he still felt hollow and empty with the lack of memory.

Later in that evening, while Broderick and Gregory went to hunt for dinner, River and Erin sat near the hearth.

"And that's how we came to be married." Erin said as she finished a story.